Former England striker Emile Heskey will today launch a new crowd safeguarding app at this afternoon’s match between Sheffield Wednesday and AFC Wimbledon.

Sheffield Wednesday’s annual ‘Together Against Racism’ match will launch its partnership with former England striker Emile Heskey’s Football Safety App, boosting safeguards for supporters and players as the club enters a new era.

The app will launch at Hillsborough when Wednesday take on AFC Wimbledon in front of an expected crowd of more than 30,000 fans. The Owls say the ‘Together Against Racism’ fixture will provide a powerful platform to encourage supporters to report abuse and help create a safer, more welcoming football community.

Championed and shaped by Heskey alongside a team of developers in Nottingham, the Football Safety App gives people a safe and simple way to report abuse wherever it happens, including inside stadiums, on public transport, at fan zones, in grassroots football and online.

It covers racism, sexism, threats and other abusive behaviour directed at supporters, players and officials. Reports submitted through the app are reviewed by trained analysts in a 24-hour control room, with credible incidents escalated to football clubs, safeguarding teams, online platforms and the police where appropriate.

The launch forms part of Sheffield Wednesday’s commitment to putting supporter welfare and inclusion at the heart of a fresh chapter under new ownership. Information about the app will be displayed around Hillsborough, including on the backs of toilet doors, and promoted on the stadium’s big screen. A dedicated “report a concern” page on the club website will also direct supporters to reporting information.

By pairing its anti-racism message with a practical reporting tool, Wednesday aim to give supporters a way to turn that shared commitment into action throughout the season.

For Heskey, whose son Jaden plays for Sheffield Wednesday on loan from Manchester City, the partnership also has a personal significance. The former Liverpool forward said: “With Jaden playing for Sheffield Wednesday, this partnership means a great deal to me as both a former player and a dad. Everyone should be able to go to a match, support their team or step onto the pitch without being subjected to abuse.

“Launching at the Together Against Racism fixture sends a strong message, but what matters is giving people a practical way to act long after the final whistle. We want supporters to feel confident about speaking up and knowing their concerns will reach people who can help.”

Club captain Liam Palmer said: “I’m very pleased to see the Football Safety App being implemented at Hillsborough. Our club welcomes supporters, players and staff from all walks of life and it’s important for everyone to know they have an outlet to report unacceptable behaviour when it occurs. The message is clear, all are welcome and abuse of any kind will not be tolerated at Hillsborough.”

The scale of the challenge remains significant. Figures cited in the EFL’s 2026 Together Against Racism campaign recorded 171 incidents of abuse at EFL grounds across League and Cup competitions which led to 91 individuals identified.

Greater identification success was attributed to live reporting in stadiums, which enabled faster action to be taken. Live reporting accounted for nearly nine in every 10 identifications, achieving an identification success rate 2.2 times that of post-match reports.

Action taken during the previous season (2024/25) resulted in 17 supporters being banned by their clubs and 24 receiving criminal convictions for racist abuse at EFL grounds. Further cases were referred for restorative justice or remained under investigation. That season also saw more than 5,000 incidents of online abuse recorded.

Alongside its reporting features, the Football Safety App offers a range of free rewards for users who download it, with the team working to bring further major brands on board.

The app is free to download and use, and the team behind it is continuing to work with clubs, leagues and supporter groups to expand its use across the sport. Supporters can download the Football Safety App today via App Store or Google Play and use it throughout the 2026/27 season.

More information and download links can be found at: www.footballsafetyapp.com/